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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 11-04-2001

PART #3/4 - From MALI to SOMALIA

* Mali. Gen. Toure’s possible candidacy makes headlines — The possible candidacy of former Malian president, Gen. Amadou Toumani Toure (ATT) in the country’s 2002 presidential election made headlines in local newspapers this week. Under the headline: «ATT’s 2002 candidacy an open secret», the by-weekly L’Aurore said that «for a long time, people close to the virtual candidate discreetly revealed that the general bears a grudge against Malians for not calling for him to stand». Meanwhile, the weekly Liberté» wrote that «ATT‘s candidacy is gradually becoming a reality. By merely listening to his statements on national issues in the media, one realises the regret felt by the chairman of the Childhood Foundation over leaving power, or his desire to regain it», the paper explains. It cited the setting up of several support groups for ATT‘s candidacy, which the general has never opposed. For its part, the independent daily Nouvel Horizon quoted statements by the chairman of the Friends of ATT Club. «We will mobilise all Malians behind ATT to beat the ADEMA (ruling party) in 2002», the chairman said, adding that «Gen. ATT is the only one capable of beating the ADEMA, because his name and his record can mobilise a lot of people». (PANA, Senegal, 8 April 2001)

* Mauritania. Opposition leader arrested — Police in Mauritania have arrested the opposition Popular Front leader, Mohamed Lemine Ch’bih ould Cheikh Melainine, on allegations that he has incited violence. Party officials say Mr Melainine, who was runner-up in the 1997 presidential election, was detained at his home in the capital, Nouakchott, on 8 April. The Popular Front Secretary-General Mohamed ould Fadel ould Mohamed Sidya said police searched the house before making the arrest. The party has called for Mr Melainine to be released, saying his arrest was arbitrary and brutal (BBC News, UK, 10 April 2001)

* Mozambique. Aid for UK — If there was any lingering doubt that the British countryside is in crisis, it was dispelled on 6 April when it emerged that Members of the Mozambique parliament have had a whip-round to help out. In an extraordinary gesture, politicians in this impoverished African country, devastated by floods last year, have taken pity on the people in Yorkshire who lost their homes in the recent floods in Britain. Having been hit by one of the worst natural diasters in recent world memory, Mozambicans could have been forgiven for shrugging their shoulders when they heard that 200 people in Yorkshire had lost their homes. Television pictures of struggling country folk made wretched by foot-and-mouth disease were shocking even for the citizens of one of the poorest nations in the world. So they had a collection. Urged on by Eduardo Mulembwe, the Speaker of the Chamber, they raised 1,000 Meticals (about forty pounds sterling) — a huge amount in that country. (The Times, UK, 7 April 2001)

* Namibia. Whites qualify as Africans too — President Sam Nujoma struck a conciliatory note in a meeting with commercial farmers on 8 April, telling them Namibia had to forget about differences of skin colour and that white people in Namibia were as much Namibian and African as any of their compatriots. A relaxed Nujoma took visitors to his farm Etunda, located between Otjiwarongo and Otavi, on a tour of his maize fields before returning to his homestead to take his place on the verandah, kick off his sandals and address a wide range of issues over the next three hours. The President did most of the talking, elaborating on his convictions about Namibia’s potential for development, given the country’s ample natural and mineral resources, on the role farmers could play and on his views on racial matters. When one of his white guests asked him how he viewed the status of white people in Namibia, Nujoma answered: «As far as I am concerned you are Africans. I cannot claim to be Namibian or African more than you. We are all equal.» (The Namibian, Namibia, 9 April 2001)

* Niger. SOS against famine — The government of Niger has sent out an urgent appeal for emergency aid of some 60,000 tonnes of cereals for May-August to avert the wave of famine in the country. Prime Minister Hama Amadou on 5 April told donors and development partners that all the indicators of humanitarian disaster due to food shortages were manifest nationwide since March. He revealed that farmer supplies in the 12 districts have completely run out while cereal prices have skyrocketed. He said a bag of millet, Niger’s staple food, has now reached 20,000 CFA francs as compared to 12,000 francs in January. Amadou complained of the poor nutritional state of most vulnerable groups (children, women and the elderly), depopulation sometimes leading to the movement of entire families from the North to the South and overpopulation in the suburbs of major urban centres by rural dwellers. He blamed insufficient rains and crop failures for the famine. This situation was said to have led to a cereal deficit of about 163,360 tonnes affecting 4,155 of the country’s 10,094 agricultural villages hosting about 3,584,558 persons or 35 percent of Niger’s entire population. To cope with the situation, the government has embarked on irrigated farming and the sale of cereals at reasonable prices. (PANA, Senegal, 6 April 2001)

* Nigeria. Court battle over Nigerian oil wealth — 9 April: The Nigerian federal government is bringing an action in the Supreme Court today, asking it to rule on the contentious issue of how to share oil revenues. The Nigerian constitution gives oil-producing states an extra share of the revenue from the oil produced from their territory. But the coastal states are also claiming extra revenue from offshore oil produced along their coasts. The people of the Niger Delta have grown bitter over the years. They see the oil, Nigeria’s main wealth, being pumped from beneath their soil, but the money it earns goes straight into central government coffers and very little has ever come back to the areas where the oil was produced. Recently the Delta people have won some concessions. The most recent version of Nigeria’s constitution promises the oil-producing states in the federation at least 13% of the revenue. But the benefits have been less than the oil-producing states hoped for. To their extreme annoyance, the federal government is refusing to give them 13% of revenue from the offshore fields along the coast. It says all offshore revenue belongs to the nation as a whole and it should go into the communal pot. The sums involved are considerable, because there has been so much unrest and agitation in the Delta states. Moving offshore Oil companies have been moving as much of their operations offshore as possible in recent years. The federal government has now asked the Supreme Court to rule on this issue — whether state governments have any claim on natural resources which lie beyond the low watermark along their shores. The ruling, when it eventually comes, should settle this particular dispute. The case is adjourned until 21 May. (BBC News, UK, 9 April 2001)

* Nigeria. Crossed lines for telecoms sale — At a time when Nigeria is trying to attract foreign interest in the telecommunications sector, it has become harder than ever to reach the country by telephone. Poor at the best of times, communications in Nigeria have in recent weeks been melting down. Attempts to contact the outside world are greeted by a message minder at Nitel, the state telephone company, saying: «The number you are calling no longer exists.» Someone in the government has noticed. Emmanuel Ojeba, managing director of the company that still dominates communications in Nigeria, was sacked last week. Officially his removal three months after he had been confirmed in the job was «part of a process of reinvigorating Nitel to compete in a deregulated environment». But Nitel officials deny the recent breakdown had anything to do with last month’s decision by the government to advertise the sale of a majority stake in the company as part of an ambitious privatisation programme. «At management level nobody is against privatisation,» said Tayo Okundayo, Nitel’s spokesman. He blames the government for freezing company spending in advance of the sale, and says engineers are having to work round the clock to «decongest» Africa’s most populous nation. Officials at the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), the institution in charge of privatisation, believe the Nitel sale is central to the government’s ability to push forward the politically sensitive privatisation programme ahead of elections in 2003. The task of privatising Nitel is already proving immensely complicated. This, officials at the BPE fear, is a reflection of a wider conflict between market-minded reformers and a majority in favour of preserving a status quo in which state monopolies, partial controls and subsidies provide opportunities for corruption. (Financial Times, UK, 10 April 2001)

* Rwanda. Prolifération de sectes — Les sectes religieuses, qui connaissent une forte expansion depuis la guerre de 1994 et le génocide, sont devenues une source potentielle d’insécurité, a-t-on appris le 6 avril de source officielle. A Kigali, la capitale, 300 sectes ont vu le jour; la plupart d’entre elles sont des émanations des Eglises protestantes. Le 5 avril, le ministre de l’Intérieur, M. Ntiruhangwa, a convoqué plus de 100 délégués de ces sectes à une réunion au cours de laquelle il leur a fait part de ses soucis. “La plupart de ces sectes n’ont pas de représentants juridiques clairement connus et se réunissent la nuit en des lieux qui ne sont pas adaptés à la célébration d’un culte. Ces sectes sont devenues une source d’insécurité et d’instabilité dans le pays”, a affirmé M. Ntiruhungwa dans un entretien accordé à PANA. (PANA, Sénégal, 6 avril 2001)

* Rwanda. Genocide warrant issued for ex-PM — Rwanda’s government has issued an international arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Pierre Celestin Rwigema for his alleged involvement in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, officials said on 9 April. Rwigema, an ethnic Hutu, fled to the United States and sought asylum, claiming persecution by the government after a parliamentary vote of no-confidence over alleged corruption forced him to resign in January of this year. «An international arrest warrant was issued against Rwigema in March,» Emmanuel Bayingana, head of Rwanda’s Criminal Investigations Department, told Reuters. Rwanda Chief Prosecutor Gerard Gahima added: «Charges against Rwigema include genocide and crimes against humanity.» The 47-year-old Rwigema, from the mainly Hutu Republican Party, became prime minister in the country’s Tutsi-dominated government in 1995. He is now living in Chicago. It has long been known in Kigali that a file against Rwigema has existed in the prosecutor’s office. As an influential member of his neighbourhood of Biryogo in Kigali, Rwigema is accused of having distributed arms to the marauding Hutu «Interahamwe» militia which led the genocide of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, officials said.The Rwandan government is dominated by the Rwandan Patriotic Front, a mainly Tutsi party of former rebels who seized power in 1994 to end the genocide. (CNN, USA, 9 April 2001)

* Rwanda. 7e anniversaire du génocide — Dans un discours prononcé le 7 avril à l’occasion du 7e anniversaire du génocide de 1994, le président Kagame a accusé la communauté internationale de se montrer “injuste et impitoyable” envers son pays. Aujourd’hui, a-t-il dit, la communauté internationale accuse le Rwanda d’être au Congo pour piller ses richesses et non pour des raisons liées à la sécurité. “Nous ne nous retirerons pas totalement tant que notre sécurité ne sera pas garantie”, a-t-il affirmé. - A l’occasion des commémorations, les restes de milliers de victimes du génocide ont été inhumés le 7 avril à Rukumberi, en préfecture de Kibungo. (IRIN, Nairobi, 9 avril 2001)

* Rwanda. Mandat d’arrêt contre Rwigema — Le gouvernement rwandais a lancé un mandat d’arrêt international contre l’ancien Premier ministre (1995-2000) Pierre Célestin Rwigema pour participation présumée au génocide de 1994, ont annoncé les autorités le 9 avril. Rwigema s’est enfui l’année passée aux Etats-Unis où il a demandé l’asile politique. Une motion de censure du Parlement, qui l’accusait de corruption, l’avait contraint à quitter ses fonctions en février 2000. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10 avril 2001)

* Rwanda. Kigali livrera ses génocidaires — Le gouvernement rwandais vient de faire une concession majeure face aux pressions internationales. Le 9 avril, recevant à Kigali Carla del Ponte, la procureur du Tribunal pénal international, le président Kagame l’a assurée de son intention de livrer au TPIR tous les militaires, officiers compris, suspectés d’avoir commis des crimes contre l’humanité pendant et après le génocide de 1994. Il peut s’agir de Tutsi rwandais proches du pouvoir, qui s’étaient vengés des Hutu après le génocide. Des organisations de défense des droits de l’homme ont accusé le TPIR d’avoir délibérément ignoré les crimes de guerre commis par le Front patriotique rwandais de Kagame. Depuis lors, le tribunal a lancé plusieurs inculpations visant des responsables tutsi, et il semble maintenant avoir obtenu le concours des autorités rwandaises. (Le Soir, Belgique, 11 janvier 2001)

* Sénégal. Habré sommé de quitter Dakar — Le 8 avril, le président sénégalais Abdoulaye Wade a demandé à Hissène Habré de quitter le Sénégal, où les tribunaux se sont déclarés incompétents pour le juger de “complicité de torture” commise pendant ses huit années au pouvoir au Tchad. L’ancien dictateur, âgé de 58 ans, aurait un mois pour quitter Dakar, où il vit en exil depuis dix ans, mais il n’a pas été précisé à partir de quand courait ce délai. (Le Figaro, France, 9 avril 2001)

* Sénégal. Campagne électorale — 6 avril. Le président sénégalais Abdouaye Wade a fait part de son intention de battre campagne en faveur de la liste de la “Coalition SOPI” regroupée autour du Parti démocratique sénégalais (PDS) dont il demeure le secrétaire général national. “Je vais soutenir ceux qui veulent me donner une majorité”, a-t-il indiqué, signalant qu’il fera le tour du Sénégal avec ses propres moyens, comme il l’a toujours fait. - La campagne pour les législatives anticipées du 29 avril s’est ouverte officiellement le 7 avril à minuit. 25 formations politiques et quelque 3.000 candidats brigueront les suffrages. Les élections se dérouleront selon deux modes de scrutin: majoritaire sur liste départementale pour 65 députés, et proportionnel sur liste nationale pour les 55 autres. - 10 avril. L’ancien Premier ministre Moustapha Niasse, tête de liste de son parti, l’Alliance des forces de progrès, a invité les Sénégalais à la vigilance, estimant que le rêve suscité par l’alternance, intervenue le 19 mars 2000, “est en train de devenir une vaste déception”. Il accuse aussi son ancien allié, le PDS du président Wade, de vouloir instaurer un parti-Etat. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10 avril 2001)

* Senegal. Insecurity persists in Casamance — One person was killed on 6 April when armed men ambushed cars travelling on a major road in Casamance, southern Senegal, ‘Le Soleil’ daily reported. On the following day, three cars were hijacked and their passengers robbed of their belongings on a road north of Ziguinchor, Casamance’s main city. Both attacks have been blamed on dissident members of the Mouvement des forces democratiques de Casamance (MFDC). The 6 April casualty was the first since 23 March, when the Senegalese government and the MFDC signed the second part of a two-tiered peace accord. The first part was signed on 16 March. Soon after the agreements were signed, government soldiers and MFDC fighters clashed near the Gambian border, leaving one soldier wounded. The renewed insecurity does not come as a surprise to Dieudonne Pandare of RADDHO, a Dakar-based human rights organisation which closely monitors the Casamance crisis. The treaty was a move to satisfy the international community, Pandare told IRIN on 9 April. In order to achieve sustainable peace, «all the major actors have to be implicated» through discussions and a give-and-take approach, he added, referring to the fact that some of the MFDC’s political and military leaders were not involved in the negotiations. (IRIN, West Africa, 10 April 2001)

* Sierra Leone. Aide de l’UE — L’Union européenne a décidé d’accorder un nouveau programme d’aide humanitaire de 11 millions d’euros aux populations victimes du conflit en Sierra Leone. Selon les ONG, le conflit armé en Sierra Leone a entraîné le déplacement de quelque 450.000 personnes à l’intérieur du pays. Le nouveau programme d’aide de l’UE vise trois obbjectifs: l’assistance intégrée aux déplacés; l’aide aux enfants, aux femmes et aux personnes ayant subi une amputation; et l’assistance logistique aux organisations humanitaires. (PANA, Sénégal, 5 avril 2001)

* Sierra Leone. Le RUF prêt à coopérer — Le mouvement rebelle sierra-léonais, le Front révolutionnaire uni (RUF), a assuré l’Onu de son désir de coopérer avec sa mission en Sierra Leone. Cette déclaration, publiée le 9 avril, fait suite à une entrevue à Lansar de la secrétaire générale adjointe des Nations unies, Mme Frechette, avec des responsables du RUF. Pour montrer leur engagement, les rebelles ont démantelé trois postes de contrôle entre Rogberi et Lansar. A Lansar, Mme Frechette a fait une tournée des zones de déploiement de la Minusil. Durant son séjour en Sierra Leone, elle a également rencontré le président Kabbah. (PANA, Sénégal, 10 avril 2001)

* Somalie. Réconciliation des factions — Le 8 avril, les leaders des principales factions somaliennes ont annoncé leur intention de convoquer une conférence de réconciliation “sans exclusive” dans six semaines en Somalie. La conférence est destinée à “établir un gouvernement d’union nationale représentatif et légitime de transition”. “Nous voulons préparer le terrain en vue de la mise en place d’un nouveau gouvernement avec le soutien des masses”, a déclaré Hussein Aïdid, président du Conseil somalien de réconciliation et de restaruration (SRRC). Le SRRC a été formé le mois dernier en Ethiopie par les leaders de 17 factions et le président du Puntland. (PANA, Sénégal, 9 avril 2001)

* Somalia. Leaders to hold conference — Somali faction leaders opposed to the transitional government of President Abdekassim Salat Hassan said on 8 April they will hold a reconciliation conference in the fragmented Horn of Africa nation. Hussein Aidid, speaking on behalf of the recently formed Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council, said the conference will be held in Somalia but gave no date. Hassan’s government will be invited, he added. Hussein said 14 of 17 faction leaders who formed the council had already left Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, to organize the conference. The council, formed two weeks ago, is led by Abdullahi Yusuf, the self-proclaimed president of the northeastern Puntland region, and 16 other faction leaders. «The faction leaders and the Puntland president now control nearly all the country,» Aidid said. Somalia has had no functioning central government since the 1991 ouster of the late dictator Mohamed Siad Barre by a coalition of rebels in which Aidid’s father, the late Farah, was a key player. After ousting Siad Bare, the factions turned against one another and the country disintegrated into fiefs controlled by clan militias. (InfoBeat, USA, 9 April 2001)